


Destined Encounter

by fullfirefafar



Category: Pocket Monsters | Pokemon (Main Video Game Series), Pocket Monsters | Pokemon - All Media Types
Genre: Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/M, Fluff and Angst, Romantic Fluff, honestly im still stuck in this fluff fever i wanna write SUFFER
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-10-08
Updated: 2016-10-08
Packaged: 2018-08-20 05:43:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,192
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8238085
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fullfirefafar/pseuds/fullfirefafar
Summary: During the many times they bumped into each other, Silver remembered all of them.





	

**Author's Note:**

> this is a birthday gift for one of my dear friends [stella](http://silverbuttercups.tumblr.com) so i decided to share it here instead hehe. fun fact soulsilvershipping was legit my all time otp (and is still is) and the very reason i started writing fanfic and boi howdy it was so much fun writing down memory lane with this lmao.

  _The first time I met you, I hated your guts._  
  
 “Good job, sweetie!” Her praises felt like acid dripping into his ears.  
  
 “I can’t believe we’ve won our first battle!” Her statement felt like fire scorching in his heart.  
  
 He only stood there a few steps away, hands roughly clenched into fists and toes curled inside his shoes. The crimson bangs of his hair shielded the pure fury that had long seared in a pair of silver irises. In and out he tried to breathe properly. In and out each attempt ended in seething, uneven failure.  
  
 “Hey, you!”  
  
 White teeth gritted madly once her voice rang at him.  
  
Dull nails dug deep into the skin of his palms, he finally shot his head up and glared at the disgusting excuse of a trainer.   
  
 …Or was about to, until shock widened his eyes at the sight of an outstretched hand and a sweet smile.  
  
 “That was a great battle!”   
  
 It was sickening. Her enthusiasm was utterly, completely sickening.   
  
 He didn’t take her hand, neither did he respond to such filthy, humiliating words. Silver eyes darted to the left, then shot to the hanging hand that patiently waited for his grip.  
  
 He hated her.  
  
 He hated her guts.  
  
 Before she had the chance to ask about his cold reactions, the girl was instead thrown into bafflement once he slapped her right hand away.  
  
 “H-Hey!” she snapped, obvious hurt and shock tugging the corners of her mouth. The Cyndaquil cradled by her left arm growled deeply, obviously disapproving the redhead’s rude actions.  
  
 He didn’t care.   
  
 He didn’t want to care. As far as he knew, he just wanted to get away from her and never, ever see her stupid presence ever again-  
  
 “Wait, Silver! You dropped your trainer card!”  
  
 The second his name echoed into the bright blue sky, Silver felt as if the earth had dropped right onto his head.  
  
—  
  
  _The second time I met you, I despised everything you ever were._  
  
 “Y-You…” He couldn’t believe it. “Y…You ca-an’t be…” He just couldn’t believe it.  
  
 Silver eyes widened like the sun above. White teeth clenched and gritted as pale lips pulled to a tight scowl. Horror sketched every curve and shape of his face. Bafflement swallowed his words whole. The words she’d said rang clearly in his mind, echoing and rattling his brain until vision almost blurred into two.  
  
 “Silver, are you okay…?”  
  
 It wasn’t her voice that rolled disgust in his throat. It was her concern.  
  
 Sharp teeth slowly clenched tightly until jaw grew numb, Silver curled one hand into a rough fist. “You’re kidding me.” Hatred seethed between clenched teeth. “You’ve got to be kidding me…” Gaze sharpened and fixated on the confusion and concern on her face, Silver then glanced down at the sound of a deep, reverberating growl.  
  
 Her Quilava had stood on all fours. Fire sparked madly on his back and sharp fangs bared viciously before the stunned redhead.  
  
 To think that this puny Pokémon and his weak-beyond-words trainer defeated the one sole organization that he himself swore to defeat.  
  
 Fire burned wickedly in his heart.  
  
 “Fight me.” Anger fuming right out of his nostrils and between gritted teeth, Silver unsnapped a Pokéball from his belt and shot the deadliest glare possible at the pigtailed brunette. “Fight me and _prove_ to me that those weak excuse of an organization didn’t just lose to a pathetic wimp like you!”  
  
 As he hurled the ball into the air and released his Gastly, Silver could only spat grimly at the words that kept echoing in his brain: _It can’t be! It can’t be! It can’t be!!_  
  
—  
  
  _The third time I met you, I was grown tired of even looking at you._  
  
 “Good job, baby!” Joy beamed from her voice as the Quilava jumped into her arms. Laughter rang inside the burned tower. Although the place was unstable and the ground itself looked like it could crumble any minute, that never once ruined her chance to jump in one place and celebrate her victory.  
  
 God, every moment he heard her was a moment that churned his stomach tighter.  
  
 “Silver?”  
  
 She wasn’t allowed to call his name. She should never, ever call his name.  
  
 Head still turned to the side, he shoved both hands into the pockets of his pants before turning around. His ears burned every time she opened her mouth. His scowl tightened every time he looked at her.  
  
 “Silver, where are you going?”  
  
 She wasn’t allowed to ask him anything. She should never, ever have the right to know about him.  
  
 He hated her.  
  
 He hated her, he hated her, he hated her so much-  
  
 “Silver, watch out!”  
  
 Before he could say or do anything, he flinched and slid backwards once he felt a tug on his right arm. Instantly he tripped a few steps back, though balance thankfully and quickly retrieved before he could fall on his back. Annoyance immediately turned into shock. Shock immediately turned into anger.  
  
 “What the hell?!” Silver eyes darted over his right shoulder, black pupils then widened at the sight of her clutching his right arm. “Let go of me, you stupid girl-!”  
  
  _CRASH!_  
  
 Bewilderment silenced him completely at the sudden sound. Jaw hanged open, he gawked at whatever was in front of him, only to then gasp once at the sight of a fallen pillar crumbling a few steps away.  
  
 “Phew…Thank goodness you’re okay…”  
  
 He didn’t see her, but to hear that disgusting concern, to know that she had just saved him from the possibility of having broken bones – or worse, losing his shitty life – Silver felt fury flamed ragingly inside his heart.  
  
  _Why…?_ That single word chugged deep inside his brain. _W-Why…?_  
  
 Unaware of the emotional turmoil he was having, Kotone slid a few steps forward and stopped beside him. “Are you hurt anywhere, though?” Worry laced each word that came out of her mouth. Even Damien stood behind her, eyeing both the trainers and the area around them just in case any accidents could happen again.  
  
 He hated her. He hated her so, fucking much.  
  
 “Let me GO!” His whole body trembling from head to toe, Silver jerked his right arm off her grasp until she faltered a few steps back. Without so much a single glance, the redhead shoved both hands into the pockets of his jacket and stomped away. Red bangs hovered across his eyes, preventing anyone and everyone from seeing pure fury that seethed from a pair of dazzling silvers.  
  
 He hated this. He hated her.  
  
 He hated her. He hated her. He hated her. He hated her. He hated her. He hated her. He hated her. He hated her. He hated her. He hated her.  
  
 He only wished that it would stay that way.  
  
—  
  
  _The fourth time I met you, I was slowly…bitterly…acknowledging what you’re capable of._  
  
 “She’s weak.” He didn’t know why he was telling her all this. “She’s so stupid and weak to even care about some sick Pokémon.” He didn’t know why he wasn’t walking away from her like he used to.  
  
 Maybe a part of him owed her for saving his life. Maybe a part of her felt sickly intrigued by how much she was concerned about him.  
  
 Maybe…Maybe a part of him actually realized just how capable she was as a trainer.  
  
 Not once did he look at her as he explained. Sometimes he would glance at the sea that splashed far away from where they stood. Sometime he would glare at the pathetic Quilava that growled endlessly every time their eyes met. Either way, Silver didn’t lock eyes with her. He didn’t want to. He didn’t wish to.  
  
 Because if he knew, the moment Silver looked into a pair of those warm hazels, his heart would ache so weirdly, it would make him hate himself.  
  
 “Why don’t you go to the lighthouse while you’re at it?” Why would he tell her that? “I mean, you’re pathetic and weak as her, so why not fool around with the other weak and pathetic trainers?” Why would he spew such lies right to her face?  
  
 ‘Lies’.  
  
 He deemed them as lies, for he knew – he bitterly knew – she was far, far stronger than any trainers in the lighthouse.  
  
 The twist in his stomach began to happen again.  
  
 Without waiting for her response, Silver spun his heel and marched away.  
  
 He didn’t look at her.  
  
 He only wished that desire stayed that way.  
  
—  
  
  _The fifth time I met you, I actually felt…terrified._  
  
 He didn’t know what happened.  
  
 The first minute, he was stomping inside the radio tower, scowling at anyone who dared laid their eyes on him. The next minute, he stood before a startled Rocket grunt, tugging at the poor man’s collar and yelling at his face for all the pitiful life choices he had ever done. After the clock ticked exactly seven times, Silver remembered glaring at another Rocket grunt behind him, this time a girl that had colour drained from her face.  
  
 And the moment crimson met hazel, Silver could actually feel his heart sank deep into the hollow pits of his stomach.  
  
 Everything was a blur. He remembered shoving someone – the male grunt, probably – to the wall so hard he probably fainted. He remembered yelling her name – actually calling out her name – until he saw her flinch like a frightened baby Caterpie. He remembered hearing a soft voice – her voice – echoing dully inside his bleeding ears. He remembered blind fury boiling inside his churned stomach, sizzling a shaking, screaming heart.  
  
 He remembered pulling her until they both locked themselves inside a broom closet. Mania and panic shut his brain completely. Crimson eyes burned madly at the sick ‘R’ that was placed on her chest. Deep breaths huffed heavily at the black clothes that stuck to her body.  
  
 “ _Off._ ” The strained voice felt alien to him. “Take. It off.”  
  
 He remembered nothing much after that, except probably clutching her roughly on the shoulders and pressing her hard against the wall, except probably yelling at her some more to not be a traitor, to make herself see that she was worth so much more than being such a lowlife being-  
  
  _Eh?_ The gears in his brain crashed to a stop. _Why…Why should I care…?_  
  
 As fast as he was to have had lost it, he was just as fast to realize the horrifying situation he had thrown themselves into.  
  
 Head hanged low and bangs of red hair cascaded down to his temple, Silver gasped in and out and in and out. Trembling hands still squeezed her shoulders, though sweaty palms then slid upwards until they finally released her and pressed against the wall. His whole body began to shake. His own breathing began to hitch.  
  
 “Silver…”  
  
 Once again that voice lurched straight to his beating heart. Once again that concern twisted knots into his weak stomach.  
  
 As if that wasn’t enough, to feel soft hands caressing his cheeks, to feel smooth palms brushing his scarred face, Silver felt his whole body freeze entirely.  
  
 “It’s okay, Silver.”   
  
  _Stop._  
  
 “I’m just going undercover.”  
  
  _Please stop._  
  
 “I…I’m not really a Rocket so please calm down…”  
  
 Her pinkie finger traced the corner of his gaping mouth. Every single touch that he felt only increased the manic pace of his heart. Every single word that he heard stitched holes in his howling heart.  
  
 Why would he care?  
  
 Why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why?  
  
 “Silver…”  
  
 He hated it. He hated her voice. He hated her looks. He hated everything about her.  
  
 But most of all, he hated how much she was affecting him.  
  
—  
  
  _There sixth time I met you, I felt as if I had reached a dead end._  
  
 “It can’t be…” The broken murmurs echoed weakly inside the basement. “It can’t…be…” Crimson eyes hollowly gazed at the Pokéball in his right hand. He couldn’t stop shaking. He couldn’t stop mumbling. No matter how hard he tried, how badly he trained his Pokémon, when it came to her, victory was nothing but a pitiful, unreachable dream.  
  
 “Silver…”   
  
 If only his heart could get used to that disgusting tone of her voice. If only he could just forget about it entirely and treat is as nuisance.  
  
 But no. No.  
  
 Ever since she saw him at his lowest, Silver knew – rued – he had sank deep into the very pits of hell and she was the only spectator.  
  
 But that wasn’t the worst part of all.  
  
 “Don’t lose hope, Silver!”  
  
 The worst part of all was she had formed a huge crack on his wall.  
  
—  
  
  _The seventh time I met you, I hated myself for being so…vulnerable in front of you._  
  
 It was bad enough he couldn’t win against one trainer. But to lose against another trainer who just so happened to have the audacity to nag at him for being a reckless and ruthless trainer?  
  
 Oh, he already knew all of that about him.  
  
 He just hated hearing it from others.  
  
 “I hate that he thought he knew everything about me!” Fists curled tightly by his sides. “I hate that he was all high and mighty after wiping out my goddamn team!” Anger seethed through clenched teeth. “I’ll prove to him…I’ll prove to that stupid, wimpy, shitty dragon trainer that I’m _capable_ of wiping his entire dragon ass!”  
  
 It was a miracle that Silver could admit something so publicly.  
  
 It was an even bigger miracle that he was admitting all this to his annoying rival.  
  
 ‘His’? ‘Rival’? Silver honestly wanted to laugh out loud.  
  
 Instead of mocking him, instead of degrading him like he’d hoped, Silver only scowled once he heard her cheerful, caring, “I’ll be rooting for you, Silver!”  
  
 Dull nails dug deep into his palms.  
  
 “And I’ll beat you too!” Heat splashed his cheeks, yet unlike before, he was now at lost on whether it was anger or…something else. “Just you wait. I _will_ beat you right after I’m done with that bastard!” He looked at her, glared at her, with eyes as sharp as knives.  
  
 She flinched once, then blinked in stupor at his intimidating demeanour.  
  
 However, fear was no longer present in her every time she faced him.  
  
 Instead, a sincere smile curled the corners of her lips.   
  
 He hated it. He hated her.  
  
 He hated himself for feeling such an unknown way to her.  
  
—  
  
  _The eighth time I met you, I really wish I hadn’t._  
  
 Losing against a dainty group of kimono dancers was humiliating enough.  
  
 Knowing that the one person he wished wouldn’t see this tragic lost was watching him made him want to punch himself in the stomach.  
  
 “Go ahead!” One hand swung madly to the side. “Go! See if you can defeat them!” Every word that was spewed out pitched a tad higher than before. “You came for that reason, right?!” He didn’t care if he had created an audience. He couldn’t. “I-I mean-” A bitter laugh spurted in between, “-why else would you come here?”  
  
 Why else would she see this pure, disastrous defeat?  
  
 Fury bubbled inside his stomach. Rage spiralled in irises of sparkling silver. “But don’t you _dare_ get cocky!” One finger rudely pointed at the startled trainer. “You…Don’t you DARE think that you have the nerve to boast around just because you saved day!”  
  
 Her lips, quite plump and pale, parted slightly. “B-But I never-”  
  
 “Shut.” Seething words ceased her completely. “Up.”  
  
 Silence hanged heavy between them. One stared in a mixture of horror and concern while the other gasped as if he had ran an endless marathon. Only the sounds of an Espeon growling behind her echoed loudly in their ears. Their distance only a few feet apart, both trainers froze in their place with confusion and fear numbing their bodies.  
  
 In and out and in and out he gasped faintly. In and out and in and out warm air seethed through clenched teeth.  
  
 He was defeated. He was humiliated.  
  
 And what’s worse, she had seen it all.  
  
 His heart still thumped madly inside his chest, yet Silver finally felt his jaw loosened. “Just go…” His voice lulled so weakly, so faintly that Kotone had to take one step forward. Head still hanged low, Silver glanced at his clenched hand. “Just…go inside…” Simmering silver eyes never meeting those pair of twisting hazels, he spun his heel and stomped away.  
  
 “I’m not going back.” Voice finally reaching an even tone, albeit still shaky, Silver picked up the pace. “Like hell I’m going back in there.” Head shaking left and right, the teenage trainer actually, finally ran away once his name was echoed painfully through the clear sound of her voice.  
  
 “I don’t…I can’t bear to see you win.”  
  
 He wondered if this was what it’s like to have one’s heart to crack into two.  
  
—  
  
  _The ninth time I met you, I realized that you’ve opened my eyes._  
  
 For the first time in his life, Silver actually wondered that maybe – just maybe – there really was something wrong with his life.  
  
 That shouldn’t surprise him that much, to be honest. His life was already a mess the moment he was born.   
  
 What did surprise him though was the fact that he was beginning to acknowledge all his faults.  
  
 “I…” He wasn’t angry. “I couldn’t…win.” He wasn’t furious.  
  
 Returning his fainted Feraligatr back into his Pokéball, Silver only stared at the red and white object until his mind wandered a few steps away. He had tried his best. His Pokémon had tried their best. So why, he wondered. Why couldn’t he win against her? Was it because she was always two steps ahead of him? Was it because she had more determination than him?  
  
 Or was it because…because she loved and treated her Pokémon right?  
  
 The ringing sound of her laughter and her Ampharos’s coos felt like knives twisting his heart.  
  
 Silence hovered heavily. His mouth tightened to a straight line. Head hanged low and crimson bangs cascading to the sides of his face, he weakly snapped the shrinking Pokéball onto the belt of his pants. Both hands then plopped by his sides, deft fingers clenched and slowly curled into tight fists.  
  
 Why? He had trained so hard. He had done so much. He had collected what he assumed was the strongest team alive. Hell, he’d achieved a few gym badges himself without any difficulties.   
  
  _So why?_  
  
 “Great battle, Silver!”  
  
 The hollow interior of Victory Road only maximised the preppy echo of her voice.  
  
 He flinched once, though fingers surprisingly unclenched and stance loosened after hearing her voice.  
  
 How odd.  
  
 A deep breath was taken. A deep breath was held. Silver eyes shielded by eyelids, Silver looked up and exhaled slowly.  
  
 She was patient. He often hated that saintly patience of hers.  
  
 At the mental count of three, the redheaded trainer opened his eyes and dared to look at the one trainer who had long shaken his heart since the moment they met.  
  
 She was smiling. He often hated how that smile alone could affect him.  
  
 Unbeknownst to the emotional dilemma he was feeling, Kotone then proceeded to say the one thing that he had been craving to hear: “I saw that you really gave it your all through that battle! It was amazing!”  
  
 It seemed that his whole world had stopped for a second.  
  
  _Ba-dump!_ The beat of his heart pumped the loudest. _Ba-dump, ba-dump!_ The beat of his heart began robbing his will to breathe properly.  
  
 The cave felt somewhat hotter now.  
  
 “Hmm…” was all he could manage, was all he could sputter at the very last minute. To know that she openly acknowledged his hard work; to know that she complimented on his efforts of getting this far; Silver didn’t know why all of this mattered to him.  
  
 But it did.  
  
 And it fuelled him to get even better.  
  
 For the first time since forever, a smirk actually twitched the corner of his mouth.  
  
—  
  
  _The tenth time I met you, I…couldn’t look away._  
  
 It had been months since their last encounter. He had battled many trainers along the way. He had won endless battles along the way. Be it from the traditional places of Ecruteak or the bustling cities of Goldenrod, Silver had pretty much brushed up on his skills and proved to a lot of people that he was a force to be reckoned with.  
  
 Hell, after months of mastering his skills and – for once, believing in his team – Silver actually managed to go through the Elite Four.  
  
 He still hadn’t found Lance. And even if he did, Silver was notified that a new Champion had taken his title, so battling him would mean nothing if Silver was aiming for that.  
  
 It stung him that he was still a step back. But either way, pride and joy enveloped the young trainer to know that he had made it this far, to know that he was now well-known by a few strong trainers alike.  
  
 However, there was one trainer who hadn’t seen his improvement.  
  
 Now that he thought about it, it’d been forever since he last saw her.  
  
 It irritated him.  
  
 He should be happy that he hadn’t seen her shadow. He should be jumping for joy that her voice no longer screeched into his ears.  
  
 Only problem was: her voice wasn’t much of a screech to him anymore; if anything, it sounded more like bells.   
  
 And instead of feeling ecstatic at her absence, he felt…bitterly empty.  
  
 He hated it. He hated what he had done to her.  
  
 But God, he especially hated how furiously happy he was when he bumped into her.  
  
 They reunited at Mt. Moon; that alone was much of a shocker. She told him that she had beaten Lance and gained the ‘Champion’ title; that honestly didn’t surprise him in the least, though it did stir up a twinge of jealousy in him. She was far more talkative than he last saw her. She smiled much more often than he last remembered.  
  
  _Huh_ , he wondered, _why the hell will I remember?_  
  
 Confusion and irritation bit him hard during their battle. Obviously, he gave it his all. Obviously, she saw that he did. But amidst the explosion between their Pokémon and their constant yelling over giving commands, Silver hoped that she hadn’t realized the many times he stole a glance at her.  
  
 Hell, even after their satisfying battle, he still couldn’t stop looking at her.  
  
 And hell damn him more, even when they parted ways, Silver could vividly remember her smile, her laugh.  
  
 For once, it didn’t annoy him.  
  
—  
  
  _The eleventh time I met you, I honestly didn’t know what had gotten into me._  
  
 Oh hell no.  
  
 No, no, no, no, no, no, no.  
  
 To see that Lance was approaching her as his partner for the double battle, to see that Kotone seemingly agreed on the sudden pair-up, Silver felt something stirring violently inside of him. His heart skipped a beat. His breathing hitched tightly inside his throat.  
  
 Everything happened too fast in his opinion. The world was maniacally spinning until Silver could actually feel his feet staggering on every hasty step.  
  
 His right hand reached towards the smile that fuelled his motivation. His right fingers stretched forward at the beaming smile that had long brightened his life.  
  
  _Like hell!_ “Oh no you won’t!” _Like hell!_  
  
 Before anyone could comprehend on the matter, Silver caught a hold of her left hand and pulled her closer.  
  
 Her body was warm.  
  
 “She’s fighting with me!” A mixture of anger and something so foreign seethed through gritted teeth. Sharp silver eyes glaring at the two startled dragon trainers, Silver bitterly spat, “You can go partner up with your circus freak of a cousin.” He couldn’t give a damn at Claire’s offended gasp. Glare fixed on the two older trainers – he didn’t know how, he didn’t know why – Silver wrapped his free arm around her waist. “Kotone and I are a team!”  
  
 The declaration echoed boldly inside the den.   
  
 Silence reverberated next, thumping their eardrums until the redhead could feel his manic heartbeat.  
  
 “U-Um…”  
  
 It was bad enough that her voice lately could shake him. But to feel it brushing his collarbone?  
  
 It took him a few seconds. It took him a few solid seconds.  
  
 Horror cracked through a mask of pure spite, Silver gawked downwards.  
  
 And by God, the moment he realized the minimal distance their faces shared, he almost stumbled backwards and shrieked at the top of his lungs.  
  
 Thankfully, he only did the former.  
  
 The release was so quick, he wanted to punch himself for missing her warmth already.  
  
 “R-R _ight!_ ” Voice pitched a squeak, Silver coughed a few times before shaking his head. “I mean-I-I mean-” Ah, he infuriated himself. “You-You’re going to be my partn- _Battle_ partner!” He really wanted to drown himself inside the lake right now.  
  
 He saw that she didn’t give an immediate reply. He gawked as her face was flushed to the tips of her ears. Hazel eyes were as wide as they could be. Pale pink lips were parted to a tiny gape, her lower lip then quickly accompanied by her right fingers.  
  
 Oh, how disgustingly cute.  
  
 Silver flinched terribly at the horrifying statement his mind had made.  
  
 He then proceeded to growl deeply at the sound of Lance and Claire’s amused chuckling.   
  
—  
  
  _The twelfth time I met you, I began to actually enjoy your company._  
  
 “So, what do you think?”  
  
 His silent chewing was answer enough, yet Kotone merely giggled in glee at the sight of a blushing cheeks.  
  
 He gulped slowly. “Not bad, I guess.” A shrug was given.  
  
 Sharp teeth nipped the insides of his growing smile at the sound of her groan.  
  
 “‘Not bad’? Seriously?” Lower lip jutted out slightly, she scoffed sourly and brought the basket of onigiri to her lap. “And here I enjoyed making these, but apparently _someone_ doesn’t appreciate them-”  
  
 Silence zipped her mouth once she saw his hand casually taking another piece from inside the basket.  
  
Surprise flickered in a pair of hazels, she turned her head to his direction.  
  
 “What…?” he mumbled sourly, mouth hidden behind the delicious delicacy. Silver eyes trying their best to focus forward, Silver meekly mumbled, “I didn’t say I don’t like ‘em…”  
  
 He didn’t look at her. But to hear her laugh was more than enough to splash brighter colour in his cheeks.  
  
—  
  
  _The thirteenth time I met you, I felt like I was in a dream._  
  
 He couldn’t believe it.  
  
 “I…”  
  
 He just couldn’t believe it.  
  
 “I won…?”  
  
 As he watched her fallen Typhlosion being transferred back to his Pokéball, Silver only gaped like a dumbfounded fool.  
  
 After almost a gruelling hour of moving around and belting out commands, after almost an hour of sweat and faint tears soaking his face and body, Silver honestly thought that all the things that were unravelling in front of him right now was a dream.  
  
 “You did it, Silver!”  
  
 But it wasn’t a dream.  
  
 “You beat me! You actually, finally, beat me!”  
  
 It was sheer, pure reality.  
  
 After a few seconds of seeing his Feraligatr stomping and dancing around in victorious glee, Silver finally cocked his head in her direction.  
  
 Air was held tightly in his lungs at the sight of her smile.  
  
 Hands cupped behind her back, Kotone gave a thumbs-up and a playful wink. “Congratulations!”  
  
 Air was wiped out completely from his lungs at the sight of her.  
  
—  
  
 It had been a year since they first met.  
  
 Despite the long, gruesome journey that he had gone through, Silver remembered all of it. He remembered blindly stealing a starter Pokémon. He remembered making a promise to himself to be the strongest, to prove to his old man that strength and power could overcome all just by a single person.  
  
 However, that perspective was destroyed completely when she entered his life.  
  
 He still aimed to be the strongest. He still wished to be best trainer he could be. Only this time, he should know that he wasn’t alone in this. He should remember that he and his Pokémon were a team.  
  
 And by God, it was a pleasant reminder every time he and his Pokémon won a battle.  
  
 It was all thanks to her.  
  
 It was funny, really, Silver thought. She wasn’t even originally a part of his plan. If anything, she was just a nuisance that he once hoped would disappear from his sights for good.  
  
 But no. Apparently, God had different plans for him.  
  
 The many times he’d bumped into her remained vivid in his mind. He clearly remembered how he felt when he first saw her smile, heard her laugh. It vexed him to no end. He wanted nothing more than silence from the girl. Silver didn’t want to hear her. He didn’t want to even see her shadow.  
  
 But as the months rolled by, Silver soon realized, it was thanks to those many times that helped him slowly, unwarily open up his heart.  
  
 He wasn’t willing, at first. But apparently, his feelings were just as traitorous.  
  
 Now, her laugh became his favourite melody. Now, her smile became his favourite memory. Even though he rarely showed it, Silver was honestly enthralled by her very presence. To be by her side, to just sit comfortably at a park with her was enough to fill him with peace. To taste her cooking every time she visited him in the Dragon’s Den, to have a rousing battle with her every time they bumped into each other, all of it sparked life in him.  
  
 In time, he then realized that he started to laugh easily, to smile simply.  
  
 It took him a while to notice the reason for all this.  
  
 “Silver!”  
  
 His head cocked up at the owner of the cheerful voice. Hands nervously wiggling inside the pockets of his pants, Silver curved a lazy smile at her approach.  
  
 “Took you so long.” He blatantly commented once she stopped in front of him.  
  
 His smile widened at the sight of her tongue.  
  
 “It wasn’t _that_ long.” Pink lips pouted in feigned hurt, Kotone then rolled her eyes at the raised eyebrow. “Oh please. You’re often late and you don’t see me complaining.”  
  
 A scoff was given. “Not my fault some wimpy trainer wants to battle me.”  
  
 A laughter bubbled out. “Fine, fine.” One hand waving lazily, Kotone then clapped her hands once. “Alright! Ready to go have some fun in the Battle Frontier?”  
  
 The sight of her adorable smile alone was enough to curl swirls at the corners of his mouth. “Thought you’d never ask.” And with that, they both walked side by side towards the Frontier’s entrance.  
  
 To hear her laugh, to see her smile, Silver found it ironic that he could no longer live without any of them.  
  
 Because he knew.  
  
  _The twentieth time I’m meeting you, I know that I’ve fallen in love with you._  
  
 _ **END**_

**Author's Note:**

> ALSO FUN FACT I LOVE. SILVER LIKE THE ROARING SUN POKEMON GEN EP 5 IS A BLESSING


End file.
